This article is from WeChat public account:Neural reality (ID: neureality), author: Robert A. Burton, translation: Departed, cover: Gérard Dubois

We are all storytellers. We understand the world by telling stories, and science is an important source of stories.

where science meets the story

We are all storytellers, and we understand the world by telling stories. Science is an important source of stories. You might say that this is not the case: science is an objective collection and explanation of the data – I fully agree with this. At the level of pure physical phenomena research, science is indeed the only reliable way to establish world facts.

But when we use the data of the physical world to explain the phenomenon that cannot be reduced to physical facts, or when we try to extend the incomplete data to arrive at a more general conclusion, we are telling the story. . Knowing the atomic weight of carbon and oxygen does not let us know the mystery of life; there is still no direct factual evidence to explain why animals can sacrifice themselves for the benefit of their own people. Why do we fall in love, what is the meaning and purpose of existence, and we Why do you kill each other?

This is not a scientific mistake. Instead, science can save us from telling the wrong story. It is an irreplaceable means of understanding the world. But even though we can find truth from science, there are still many important questions that force us to venture beyond facts to tell stories. It is also because of the scientific and complex methodology that the story is still the main way we understand life, and we cannot yet surpass it.

But we can start by having this awareness, starting with the way in which the presentation and interpretation of scientific data is full of storytelling. Good scientific research should have the following characteristics: careful acquisition and analysis of data; certain constraints on the interpretation of clearly reflected conclusions in the data; and an honest and humble understanding of the limitations of the interpretation of the data.

As the public, we first need to ensure that the science we believe in as truth must undergo a peer-reviewed process. At the same time, we should also understand that even peer-reviewed data is not always accurate.

In 2011, Nature reported that published works that were withdrawn in the past decade have increased tenfold, while papers published have only increased by 44%. Scientist Glenn Begley (C. Glenn Begley) and Lee Ellis(Lee M. Ellis) wrote in Nature that their colleagues at Amgen Biotech can only repeat six of the 53 landmark hematology and oncology studies. Coincidentally, Bayer’s researchers also indicated in 2011 that they could not effectively repeat two-thirds of oncology research related to their work.

When reading a scientific report, we should also search for information related to the limitations of these data. Are there any implicit assumptions behind this information? What are the “error bars” of the variable data, and what do those image representations tell us? We may not be able to understand the limitations of the data forever, but when those data lack some necessary discussionWe must be careful when we are.

Brianstauffer

Scientists have scientific tools, language, and experience. They can tell us stories that are informative and fascinating. Correspondingly, we should also examine their scientific research by examining the forms of other works of art. We should evaluate the accuracy of their language, the rigor of structure, the clarity and originality of ideas, just like literary critics.

We need to examine the overall beauty and elegance of their work and the constraints on the moral issues raised. We need to explore where they place their work in history, culture, and personal context, and how much they accept other opinions and explanations.

In any case, scientific methodology is still one of the great advances of mankind. When science stories are well presented, they are like great epics that are still evolving and deserve to be worthy of being compared to the great stories of history.

This article is from WeChat public account:Neural reality (ID: neureality), author: Robert A. Burton, translation: Departed, cover: Gérard Dubois